The invention relates to a grilling appliance having a first and a second housing section each provided with a heating plate and heating means for heating the heating plates, which heating plates extend substantially parallel and face one another in an active grilling position, which housing sections are connected to one another both pivotably and slidably by means of two slidable hinge constructions which are situated at some distance from one another and which each have a substantially vertical slot in the first housing section and a trunnion connected to the second housing section and engaging in the respective slot of the first housing section.
Such a grilling appliance is known from DE-C2-26 23 294. These grilling appliances are also referred to as contact grilles or table-top grilles. The slidable hinge construction used in these grilling appliances allows the appliance to be opened by pivoting the housing sections with respect to each other through an angle of approximately 90.degree.. The item of food to be grilled (for example meat) is placed onto the heating plate of the lower housing section, after which the appliance is closed by pivoting back the upper housing section, upon which the heating plate of the upper housing section comes into contact with the food to be grilled. Some appliances can even be pivoted open through 180.degree.. The appliance can then be used as a hotplate or a regular grill. Moreover, the appliance can be cleaned easily in this position. The housing sections can perform not only a pivotal movement but also a sliding movement with respect to each other. This makes it possible to position the housing sections and, consequently, the heating plates at some distance from each other in an active grilling position. Thus, it is possible to prepare gratinated dishes, in the process of which a crisp surface is formed on the food. A drawback of such grilling appliances is that the sliding hinge construction often gives rise to canting of the two housing sections. This is caused by the fact that the two hinge constructions, which are situated at some distance from one another, are independent of each other, which during the sliding and/or pivotal movement gives rise to a sliding movement which is larger near one hinge than near the other hinge. Another drawback is that as a result of the different movements of the hinges the heating plates themselves may be positioned obliquely with respect to each other, instead of parallel, which causes the food to be heated unevenly. This is particularly undesirable in a gratinating process.